Trek will raise money in slain brother's memory (WITH VIDEO)

Dennis Quinn after the Friday sentencing of Terry D. Jr. and Kenneth R. Kline in the beating death of his brother, Kyle G.D. Quinn.

WATCH: Dennis Quinn talks about the trek
After spending spring break in the Great Smoky Mountains five years ago, Dennis Quinn made up his mind to one day hike the entire Appalachian Trail.

He plans to accomplish that goal in 2009, embarking on the 2,175-mile trek for himself and to raise money for a scholarship in memory of his brother, Kyle G.D. Quinn.

Kyle, 19, was a sophomore at Kutztown University in September 2007 when he was attacked and beaten to death along Main Street.

Allentown brothers Terry D. Jr., 23, and Kenneth R. Kline, 22, were convicted in the killing. The Klines were each sentenced Friday to 20 to 40 years in state prison.

A third defendant, Timothy Gearhart, 24, pleaded guilty and received 20 to 40 years in state prison and an additional 20 years of probation.

Dennis Quinn, 23, said that he and Kyle did a lot of camping as kids, and while they were both KU students, they sometimes visited The Pinnacle, a point along the Appalachian Trail near Kempton.

In fact, they camped there with two friends four days before Kyle was killed.

Dennis said The Pinnacle, which offers a stunning view of the Berks County landscape, inspired Kyle to want to join him for part of the trail hike. "He'd started accumulating gear," Dennis recalled. "He got a backpack and a sleeping bag and different things."

Dennis graduated from KU in May and spent the summer in Colorado working for the Western Colorado Conservation Corps.

In March, he plans to begin his Appalachian Trail adventure in Georgia and finish Sept. 7, 2009 - the second anniversary of Kyle's death.

Dennis said he'll think about Kyle's life and ponder what to do next with his own.

"Losing Kyle, I think it'll be good to have that experience and see what I'm capable of as a person," he said of conquering the trail. "I'm doing it somewhat for my own sanity and to see where I am in the world."

Dennis is accepting pledges for the memorial scholarship that the Quinn family established at William Tennent High School in Bucks County, where Kyle was a 2006 graduate.

So far, Dennis has raised about $3,000. He's also seeking donations and discounts for hiking gear so that all the money he collects can go toward the scholarship.

Dennis is sure that he'll tell fellow hikers about his younger brother.

"I'm hoping to meet some really cool people. That's the cool thing about the hike," Dennis said. "He (Kyle) was just really into people, and so am I."